Coil transfer tool

ABSTRACT

Armature coils are picked up, moved, and put on a placing machine by a transfer tool having spacer pins for separately carrying the coils. The tool has alignment pins that insure proper position of the tool when the coils are picked up or put on the placing machine. The tool may have a clamp to hold the coils on the tool during the time the coils are moved.

United States Patent Hill Aug. 29, 1972 54 COIL TRANSFER TOOL [56]References Cited [72] Inventor: Donald Everett Hill; Robert G.

Walker, both of Fort Wayne, Ind. 65 55 Z 3? PATENTS l, 0, 8 ll 1 27 t6..29/205 [73] Assgnees- :g a 2,272,263 2/1942 Cullin ..29/20s W W2,721,374 10/1955 Pilas ..29/203 J Flledl 1 1966 2,755,760 7/1956Fermanian et al. ..29/203 J [21] Appl. No; 609 976 3,130,484 4/1964Zdanis ..29/203 H Related US. Application Data Primary Examiner-ThomasEager Att0rneyJefiers and Young [63] Contmuatlon-m-part of Ser. No.536,118,

March 21, 1966, abandoned. 57 ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl. .29/205 R 140/921Armature are Picked P moved and P" a 51 Int. Cl. ..Hl)2k 15/06 Placingmachine by a transfer having Space Pins [58] Field of S h ""29/205 R,203 200 H, 203 H, for separately carrying the coils. The tool has align-29/203 D, 203 L, 203 J, 205 D; 140/92.l

ment pins that insure proper position of the tool when the coils arepicked up or put on the placing machine. The tool may have a clamp tohold the coils on the tool during the time the coils are moved.

9 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDnuszs I972 SHEET 2 OF 8 INVENTOR v.@MQ ma? PATENTEDA BZ IB 1 3.686.735

SHEET 3 OF 8 @5547 6 Mwse PATENTEmuszs I972 3. 686, 735

sum 5 [1F 8 INVENTORS. DONALD E. H/LL ROBERT G. WALKER ATTORNEYSPATENTEDnuszs m2 SHEET 5 OF 8 INVENTORS. DONALD E. H/LL ROBERT a. WALKERA TTORNE YS PATENTED AUG 2 9 I972 snzsf 7 OF 8 INVENTORS DONALD E. H/LLROBERT G. WALKER ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAUBZQ 1912 3.686, 7'35 SHEET 8 BF 8INVENTORS.-

DONALD E. HILL ROBERT G. WALKER ATTORNEYS COIL TRANSFER TOOL Ourinvention relates to a coil transfer tool, and particularly to a toolfor transferring one or more wound coils from a winding form to autilization device, such as a stator winding placing machine. Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of our application entitled, CoilTransfer Tool, filed Mar. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 536,118, and now abandoned.

In the manufacture of electrical devices such as motors, one or morecoils are wound on a composite form, and then transferred to a machinethat places the wound coils in stator winding slots of electric motors.Generally, each stator slot has a relatively narrow opening throughwhich one side of the coil for the slot must pass in order to be placedin the slot. The coil is usually placed in the slot by being passedthrough the narrow slot opening along the edge of the coil. If the coilturns pile up or bunch, they form a thickness that cannot pass throughthe slot opening. It is therefore desirable that the coils retain theirwound shape during removal from the winding form, and during handlingand manipulating, until the coils are actually in their final positionin the stator slots.

Accordingly, an object of our invention is to provide an improved toolfor handling a coil or winding of wire.

Another object of our invention is to provide an improved tool withwhich one or more wound electrical coils can be removed from a form andtransported without disturbing the form or shape of the wound coils.

Another object of our invention is to provide a new and improvedtransfer tool that can transfer one or more coils from a winding form toa machine or utilization device and maintain the coil in its initiallywound condition.

Where a number of coils are to be placed in an electric motor stator, itis desirable that these coils be wound and placed in the stator slots inseries without their continuous interconnecting leads being cut.

Accordingly, another object of our invention is to provide a coiltransfer tool that can transfer one or more wound coils, which are stillconnected to a coil winding machine, or to previously wound coils, or toboth the machine and coils, to a placing machine without the connectionsbeing cut or broken.

Another object of our invention is to provide a coil transfer tool thatcan transfer a plurality of coils which are serially connected butpositioned in particular locations to motor stator slots and which aremaintained in their particular locations.

Another object of our invention is to provide a coil transfer tool fortransferring a plurality of coils, each of which can be picked up afterbeing wound and held in a particular location on the tool.

Another object of our invention is to provide a coil transfer tool forpicking up and holding a coil or coils after it or they are woundwithout the connections between the coils being broken, for holding thecoils picked up in desired relative positions, and transferring thecoils picked up to another location or device.

Briefly, these and other objects are achieved in accordance with ourinvention by a transfer tool which, in one embodiment, is hand-held andoperated. The tool has one or more alignment pins which are arranged toengage a corresponding structure on the coil winding form and on themachine or device to which the coils are to be transferred. The toolalso has one or more sets of spacer pins for carrying the coils. Eachset of spacer pins preferably comprises two pins correspondingly andsymmetrically positioned relative to the alignment pins so as to supporta respective coil. And, there are preferably enough sets of spacer pinsso that each coil has a set of pins on the inside of its turns and onthe outside of its turns. A clamping bar, hand operated in the oneembodiment, is fastened to the transfer tool so as to hold the coils onthe spacer pins after the coils have been picked up on the spacer pins.The clamping bar preferably has projections which hold the coils in theproper relation along the coil length or axis. When the transfer tool isused to transfer coils, the clamping bar is opened and the alignmentpins are inserted in the corresponding winding form structure. This stepinsures that each coil has a set of spacer pins on each side of itsturns. The clamping bar is closed, and the coils are securely held bythe clamping bar and the spacer pins. The transfer toolwith the coils isthen withdrawn from the winding form, and carried to any desiredlocation such as the placing machine. The alignment pins are alignedwith corresponding placing machine structure, and the spacer pins andclamping bar insure that the coils are at the proper initial locationson the placing machine structure. The clamping bar is then opened, andthe coils are easily moved into the final pre-insertion locations on theplacing machine tool fingers. The transfer tool is withdrawn to leavethe coils in the proper position on the placing machine for finalinsertion. The transfer tool can then be used to transfer more coilsfrom the winding forms to the placing machine.

In another embodiment of our invention, the spacer pins are arranged ina generally circular fashion on the transfer tool to hold all of thecoils to be transferred to a device in the relative positions that thecoils are to be inserted in the device. Alignment pins are arranged onthe transfer tool relative to the spacer pins so that the individualcoils or sets of coils can be picked up from the winding machine on thespacer pins in the proper locations relative to the pins and the coils.After all of the individual coils or sets of coils have been picked up,the coils can be transferred to the utilization device, and inserted inor placed on the utilization device. This then frees the transfer toolfor another transfer operation.

Our invention may be better understood from the following descriptiongiven in connection with the accompanying drawing. The scope of ourinvention will be pointed out in the claims. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of two wound coils on a coil form with astructure for the transfer tool pins, and shows part of a transfer toolin accordance with our invention for picking up these two wound coils;

FIG. 2 shows a full perspective view of the transfer tool in accordancewith our invention after the two coils of FIG. 1 have been picked up bythe transfer tool;

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal cross sectional view of the transfer tooland coils of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the clamping bar latchingmechanism of the transfer tool;

FIG. 5 shows an end view of the transfer tool and coils of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the two coils and transfer toolpins after being positioned on a stator winding placing machine, aportion of which is shown in plan view;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of two wound coils on a coil form with astructure for the transfer tool pins, and shows a transfer tool inaccordance with another embodiment of our invention for picking up thesetwo wound coils;

FIG. 8 shows a longitudinal cross-section view of the transfer tool ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows an end view of the transfer tool of FIGS. 7 and 8 with aplurality of windings or coils positioned or mounted thereon;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective of the transfer tool of FIGS. 7, 8, and 9with a plurality of coils mounted thereon; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 show end views of the transfer tool of FIGS. 7, 8, 9,and 10 with dashed lines indicating how other types, arrangements, ornumbers of windings may be transferred thereon.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a part of a transfer tool 10 inaccordance with the invention and a coil form 12. The coil form 12includes a large winding form 14 and a small form 16 on which a largecoil 18 and a small coil 20 have been respectively wound. The large andsmall coils 18, 20 have cross sections which are generally irregularpolygons. In FIG. 1, the coils 18, 20 are irregular hexagons, and areshown as single layer coils. The coil form 12 with two forms 14, 16 havebeen selected to illustrate and explain the invention, but it is to beunderstood that the transfer tool 10 in accordance with the inventionmay be used to transfer only one wound coil, or to transfer any numberof wound coils of various sizes, depending upon the particularapplication in which the transfer tool is to be used. The coil forms 14,16 comprise respective upper portions which are preferably fixed, andrespective lower portions which can preferably be moved vertically upand down, as viewed in FIG. 1, to permit the coils to be more easilyremoved after winding. The upper portion of the small form 16 has a pairof generally cylindrical, alignment pin holes or slots 22, and a pair ofgenerally cylindrical, spacer pin holes or slots 23. The upper portionof the large form 14 has a pair of generally cylindrical, spacer pinholes or slots 24. These slots 22, 23, 24 are symmetrically positionedabout a vertical plane passing centrally through the coil form 12 fromfront to back, and extend horizontally from front to back in the coilform 12. As shown in FIG. 1, these slots 22,23, 24 are almost orsubstantially cylindrical, but have a portion of their cylindricalconfiguration opening into the outer surfaces or edges of theirrespective forms 14, 16. These openings facilitate insertion ofalignment pins and spacer pins of the transfer tool 10. The slots 22,23, 24 insure that the pins are positioned in the proper place withrespect to the turns of the coils 18, 20. When the coils 18, 20 arewound, the lower portions of the forms 14, 16 are in their downwardposition to provide the full size coil form. A winding machine flyerwraps the turns about the two coil forms 14, 16 after which the coils18, 20 are ready to be transferred to a placing machine or otherutilization device. However, the same device could transfer coils from asingle rotating coil form of the same shape as illustrated.

With reference to FIG. 2 as well as FIG. 1, the transfer tool 10 is usedwith the coil form 12 for picking up and transferring the wound coils18, Zil. The transfer tool 10 comprises a body orbody portion 26 whichsupports the various tool structures. These structures include a set (inthe embodiment shown a set being two) of cylindrical alignment pins 27,and three sets of cylindrical spacer pins 28, 29, 30. Corresponding setsor pairs of pins are symmetrically positioned about a vertical planepassing through the center of the transfer tool along its front to backaxis. The transfer tool 10 also includes a clamping bar 34 having twoprojections 35, 36 positioned on the forward lower face of the clampingbar 34. The clamping bar is movably attached to the body 26 by a pivot37. The clamping bar 34 may be moved or pivoted by an operating handle38 attached to the clamping bar 34 on the front side of the pivot 37.The clamping bar 34 is maintained in a normally clamped position by acompression spring 40 which urges the clamping bar 34 toward its closedor clamped position. A tool handle 39 is also fastened to the body 26and provides a means for holding the transfer tool 10, and provides astructure against which the operating handle 38 may be pressed. Theoperating handle 38 may be held in its open or unclamped positionagainst the force of the spring 40 by a latch 41 which is attached tothe tool handle 39 and which passes through an opening in the operatinghandle 38.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show further details of the transfer too] 10, and willbe discussed before operation of the transfer tool 10 is explained. FIG.3 shows the clamping bar 34 in its closed or clamped position, shows (inphantom) the clamping bar 34 in its open or unclamped position, andshows the corresponding positions of the operating handle 38. When theclamping bar 34 is in its closed position, it is near the various pinsof the transfer tool; and when it is in its open position, it is upabove or removed from these pins. FIG. 4 shows how the operating handle38 may be latched in its unclamped or open position by the latch 41.When the operating handle 38 is pressed against the tool handle 39, thelatch 41 is automatically pivoted by a latch spring 42 so that a notch43 in the latch 41 engages the operating handle 38 and holds theoperating handle 38 in its unclamped or open position as shown inphantom in FIGS. 3 and 4. And FIG. 5 shows an end view of the transfertool 10, and particularly shows the symmetrical and correspondingpositions of the sets of pins 27, 28, 29, 30. FIG. 5 also shows how thepins 27, 28, 29, 30 may be attached to the body 26 by any suitable meanssuch as a set screw 50 which permits the pins to be movedlongitudinally.

When the wound coils 18, 20 shown in FIG. 1 are to be transferred, thetransfer tool is brought into position. The operating handle 38 isdepressed to raise the clamping bar 34. Then the alignment pins 27 areinserted in their corresponding alignment pin slots 22, and the spacerpins 28, 29 are inserted in their corresponding spacer pin slots 23, 24.The spacer pins 30 do not need corresponding slots, since they are onthe outside of the large coil 18. With the transfer tool 10 in thisposition, the latch 41 is operated so that the clamping bar 34 can pivotaround and press against the top surface of the turns of the coils 18,20. With the clamping bar 34 in this position, the front projection 35is over the edge of the coil 18, and the rear projection 36 is over theedge of the coil 20, as shown in FIG. 3. The lower portions of the forms14, 116 are then preferably moved upward so as to release the coils 18,28. The transfer tool may then be withdrawn. As the tool is withdrawn,it brings the two coils 18, 20 with it. In FIGS. 2 and 5, it will beseen that the large coil 18 is held between both sets of spacer pins,29, 30, and the small coil 20 is held between both sets of spacer pins29, 28. That is, there is one more set of spacer pins than the number ofcoils. And, these figures show how the clamping bar 34 holds the uppersurface of the coils 18, 20 down against the alignment pins 27. Thus,the two coils 18, 20 are securely held in position in their properposition as wound, and their turns are held in the single layer in whichthey were wound. In this connection, the distance between adjacentspacer pins is adjusted to permit the edge of the coil to pass betweenadjacent spacer pins with sufficient clearance, but so that these turnscannot pile up or bunch.

With the coils 18, 20 on the transfer tool 10, the coils can be carriedor transferred to any location or position desired without beingdisturbed, or disarranged, or disarrayed. FIG. 6 shows a plan view of aportion of a placing machine which can place wound coils in the slots ofan electric motor stator. The portion of the placing machine showncomprises a plurality of placing machine fingers 55, There is onecorresponding finger 55 for each stator slot of the motor which is to bebuilt, and these fingers are placed in a configuration corresponding tothe inside configuration of the stator. Each finger 55 has a groove 56which fits the interior bore of the stator with the edges of the grooves56 protecting the wires being pulled in from the sharp edges of thestator slot. When the coils 18, 20 are to be placed on the fingers 55,the tool spacer pins 28, 29, 38 are slid along the grooves 56 and thetool alignment pins 27 are slid between adjacent fingers 55 on theopposite side thereof from the grooves 56. With the tool and coils 18,20 in this position, the edges of the coil are slid between theappropriate placing machine fingers 55. When the coils 18, 20 arepositioned between the appropriate placing machine fingers 55, theoperating handle 38 can be operated to open the clamping bar 34 upwardand away from the coils 18, 20. The coils 18, 20 are then in positionbetween the fingers 55, and the transfer tool 10 is removed. The coilsare then moved vertically upward from the plane of FIG. 6 to force thecoils into the stator slots by the use of a stripper 58 fittingthroughout the center space of and projecting between the fingers 55 toapproximately the outer edge. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, the coils 18, 20are placed on the utilization device, in this case a stator windingplacing machine, without being disturbed or disarranged. It is to benoted that the transfer tool 10 provides this transfer without the coilsI8, 20 being separated or cut apart. And, the transfer tool 10 canprovide this transfer with a wire connected to the previouslytransferred coil or coils, and with a wire connected back to the coilwinding machine for subsequent coils.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a transfer tool 60 in accordance withanother embodiment of our invention and a coil form 62. This transfertool 60 is arranged to pick up or transfer six sets of coils or motorstator windings, each set comprising a large coil or winding 68, and asmall coil or winding 70. One set of coils or windings is picked up at atime and each'set is retained on the transfer tool 66 until all of thesets of coils or windings are picked up. After all sets of coils arepicked up, a transfer is made. The coil form 62 includes a large windingform 64 and a small winding form 66 on which the large coil 68 and thesmall coil 70 have been respectively wound. The coil form 62 shown inFIG. 7 is similar in structure and operation to the coil form 12 shownin FIG. 1, so further explanation is not believed to be needed. However,the coil form 62 does contain a different slot arrangement.Specifically, the coil form 62 contains a single generally cylindrical,alignment pin hole or slot 71, and three pairs of generally cylindrical,spacer pin holes or slots 72, 73, 74. The spacer slots 72, 73, 74 aresymmetrically positioned about a vertical plane passing centrallythrough the coil form 62 and the alignment pin slot 71' from front toback, and extend horizontally from front to back in the coil form 62.The slots 71, 72, 73, 743 are almost or substantially cylindrical, buthave a portion of their cylindrical configuration opening into the outeredges or surfaces of their respective forms, 64, 66 to facilitateinsertion of an alignment pin and spacer pins of the transfer tool 68.

With reference to FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10, the transfer tool 68 shown isused with the coil form 62 for picking up and transferring a set ofwound coils 68, 70. This set of coils 68, 76 is one of six sets whichthe transfer tool 66 is intended to transfer to a utilization devicesuch as the stator of a six pole electric motor. The transfer tool 60comprises a body or body portion 75 which is generally cylindrical inshape and which supports a plurality of pins. In this embodiment, 24spacer pins are positioned on the body 75 in a circular fashion, andequally spaced 15 apart. These spacer pins are preferably elongated andcylindrical in shape, and extend in parallel directions from the body75. The spacer pins may be fastened or mounted on the body 75 in anysuitable way, such as fitting in cylindrical holes or openings and heldin place by set screws as shown, or by being threaded into holes oropenings in the body 75. For the embodiment, shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and10, three pairs of spacer pins 78, 80, 82 (i.e. six pins) are used topick up the set of two windings 68, 70. The three pairs of spacer pins78, 80, 82 form one of six sets of spacer pins, each set having itsrespective alignment pin 76. Thus, there are six alignment pins 76. Thealignment pins 76 are preferably elongated and cylindrical in shape, andextend from the body 75 parallel to the spacer pins. The alignment pins76 may be mounted on the body 75 in the same manner as the spacer pins,and are located 60 apart on a circle inside the spacer pins. The sixspacer pins 78, 80, 82 of a set are symmetrically positioned about aplane passing through the longitudinal axis of the transfer tool 60, andthrough the longitudinal axis of the associated alignment pin 76. InFIGS. 7 and 10, only one set of spacer pins 78, 86, 82 and therespective alignment pin 76 is provided with reference numerals in orderto reduce crowding. FIG. 9 shows two sets of spacer pins 78, 80, 82 andthe respective alignment pins 76 provided with reference numerals. InFIG. 9, it will be noted that the outer pairs of spacer pins 80, 82 of agiven set would also serve as the outer spacer pins of an adjacent set.

push plate 84 at the location where the turns or parts of two adjacentsets of coils or windings lie between the same spacer pins, as shown inFIGS. 9 and 10. It was found that when a plurality of sets of coils arepositioned on the transfer tool 60, removal of all of these coils at onetime is facilitated by the push plate elements 86 at the turns of thecoils which occupy the same locations between spacer pins. Without suchelements 86 at these coil turns, the turns tend to bunch or pile up andjam on the transfer tool 60. The push plate elements 86 also haverespective lengths so that the forward or upper ends of each of theelements 86 engage their respective coil turns at the same time. Itshould be noted that five elements 86 will suffice in the embodiment ofFIGS. 7 through 10 since the push plate 84 engages the turns of one setof coils. When the push plate 84 is actuated, the coil turns of each setand the coil turns of each adjacent set are pushed or moved at the sametime so that bunching or piling up is eliminated or substantiallyreduced. The push plate elements 86 may be adjustable, such as by havingthem threaded as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 10, or may be adjustable in anopening and held by a set screw, as in the manner shown for the spacerpins. The upper or wire engaging surface of the push plate elements 86may be suitably shaped and coated with a protective material to providethe best pushing or movement of the wound coils.

When the coils 68, 70 shown in FIG. 7 are to be transferred, thetransfer tool 60 is brought into position. Normally, the push platehandle 85 is pulled back so that the push plate 84 is retracted or incontact or engagement with the body 75. The alignment pin 76 is insertedinto its corresponding alignment pin slot 71, and the spacer pins 78,80, 82 are inserted into their corresponding and respective spacer pinslots 72, 73, 74. With the transfer tool 60 in this position, the coils68, 70 can be pulled back on the spacer pins 78,80, 82 until they engagethe push plate 84. This set of coils would correspond to the set ofcoils at the lower left in FIG. 10. At this point, it should be notedthat the leads or windings interconnecting the coils 68, 70 need not becut, and the lead or winding from the last coil to be wound may still beconnected to the winding machine. Another set of coils 68, 70 may thenbe wound on the coil form 62. The transfer tool 60 is then rotated 60 sothat another alignment pin 76 and its corresponding sets of spacer pins78, 80, 82 are in position for insertion into the coil form 62. Thetransfer tool 60 is then inserted, and the second set of coils orwindings is withdrawn onto the spacer pins 78, 80, 82. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the outer turns or windings of the large coil 68 liebetween the same spacer pins as the outer turns or windings of the largecoil 68 of the previous set. As also shown in FIG. 9, the windingsbetween the sets are continuous and interconnected, without leads beingcut.

Four additional sets of windings are similarly mounted on the transfertool 60. Six sets of windings are mounted on the transfer tool as shownin phantom in the end view of FIG. 9 and in the perspective view of FIG.10. With the six sets mounted, the last lead of the last coil to bewound and mounted may be cut off from the winding machine so that thetransfer tool 60 contains six sets of windings all seriallyinterconnected in the proper fashion, and with an end lead coming outfrom the beginning winding and from the ending winding. These windingsmay then be transferred by the tool 60 to a stator winding placingmachine, by the insertion of the pins in the proper slots and thepushing of the handle 85. The placing machine may function as describedpreviously in connection with FIG. 6.

The transfer tool 60 described in connection with FIGS. 7 through 10 hasbeen described with six sets of windings. Accordingly, there are sixalignment pins 76 symmetrically spaced 60 apart, as shown in FIG. 9.Such a tool would be used for a six pole electric motor. FIG. 9 alsoshows two openings which are provided mid-way between the upper pair ofalignment pins 76 and the lower pair of alignment pins 76. These twoopenings 90 permit four sets of coils or windings to be picked off ofthe coil form, properly located, and transferred. This is done withalignment pins in the two openings 90 and the alignment pins 76 at theextreme left and extreme right of FIG. 9, a total of four alignment pinsspaced 90 apart. FIG. 11 shows an end view of a transfer tool with fouralignment pins 92 and corresponding spacer pins symmetrically positioned90 apart. FIG. 11 shows four sets of windings in dashed lines (each sethaving three windings) positioned on the spacer pins symmetricallypositioned about the respective alignment pins 92. Such an arrangementwould be desirable for a four pole electric motor. FIG. 12 shows an endview of a transfer tool which utilizes two alignment pins 94symmetrically positioned apart, and with corresponding spacer pins. Twosets of windings (each set having five windings) are shown in dashedlines on the spacer pins symmetrically positioned about the alignmentpins 94. Such an arrangement would provide the windings for a two poleelectric motor.

The transfer tool described in connection with FIGS. 7 through 12 mayhave other forms. For example, any desired number of alignment pins andspacer pins may be used, depending upon the quantity, type, andarrangement of windings to be transferred. Thus, one coil, two coils(FIGS. 7 through 10), three coils (FIG. 11), five coils (FIG. 12), orany number of coils may be picked up at one time. The push plateelements may be modified or constructed to conform with the number ofwindings so used. Since the windings of adjacent turns may lie betweenthe same spacer pins, it has been found that the clamping bar 34,described in connection with FIGS. 1 through 6, is not essential.However, if a clamping bar is needed, it may be positioned to clamp orhold the last set of windings or coils picked up by the transfer tool60. Also, the spacer pins may be arranged so that the windings ofadjacent turns do not lie between the same spacer pins.

The transfer tool shown and described is a relatively simple device, yetefiectively transfers one or more coils without the turns of the coilsbeing disturbed or disarranged or disarrayed. And, importantly, the

transfer tool prevents the turns from piling up or bunching, a featurewhich is very important where the coils are to be inserted in smallspaces such as stator slots. While the transfer tool has been describedwith reference to particular embodiments, persons skilled in the artwill appreciate that modifications may be made. For example, the numberof spacer pins and alignment pins may be changed, depending upon theexact configuration and application of the transfer tool'. More pins perset may be provided if additional coils are to be picked up at one time,or if additional support or guidance is needed for the particular coilsbeing wound. Less pins per set may be provided if only one coil is to bepicked up at one time. Or, for the tool of FIGS. 7 through 12, thevarious sets of pins may have different numbers and arrangements ofpins. And, the pins may have other cross-sectional configurations, suchas flat surfaces or irregular surfaces other than the circular crosssection shown. The tool can also transfer coils with more than one layerof turns by the provision of the requisite clearance between spacerpins. The transfer tool is designed on the basis of the gap or slotopening of the placing machine and the number of wire layers which canpass through that opening at the same time. The spacer pin spacing isthen designed to hold the calculated number of wire layers within thedimension of the gap or slot opening. Additional coils or less coils mayalso be transferred by the tool, with such additional or less spacerpins being provided. If additional spacer pins are provided for theseadditional coils, the clamping bar, if needed, would preferably bemodified to include additional projections. Normally, a transfer tool isdesigned for a particular application and configuration of placingmachine fingers. However, if a single transfer tool must be used for anumber of configurations, the pins (in addition to being extendable orwithdrawable by the release of the set screw 50 in FIG. may be movablewith respect to the body by having the pins fit into grooves, and heldat the desired place in these grooves by lockable shims or spacers. Or,the body of the tool may be provided with a configuration of tappedholes into which the pins can be threaded or screwed at the desiredlocations. The push plate and its elements may also take differentconfigurations, such as fitting inside the spacer and alignment pins. Itis also possible to mechanize any part or all of the transfer tool tooperate automatically in the manner described, although the tool wasshown and described as hand operated. Therefore, while our invention hasbeen described with reference to a particular embodiment, it is to beunderstood that modifications may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention or from the scope of the claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

l. A tool for transferring a plurality of coils, individually wound andpositioned on a form from said form to an arrangement for utilizing saidwound coils in their respective configurations, comprising:

a. a main body portion;

b. a plurality of sets of pins fastened to said main body, each of saidsets of pins comprising at least 6 two pins which are correspondinglyand symmetrically positioned relative to said main body for supportingone of said wound coils; and

c. means movably fastened to said main body for holding said wound coilssupportably on'said sets of pins.

2. A tool for transferring a plurality of coils, wound and positioned onrespective forms of respective configurations, from said forms to anarrangement for utilizing said wound coils in their respectiveconfigurations, comprising:

a. a main body portion;

b. an alignment element fastened to said main body and adapted to engagea mating structure on said forms and on said utilization arrangement foraligning said tool therewith; and

c. a plurality of sets of pins fastened to said main body, each of saidsets of pins comprising at least two pins which are correspondingly andsymmetrically positioned relative to said alignment element forsupporting one of said wound coils.

3. A tool for transferring a plurality of coils, wound and positioned onrespective forms of respective configurations, from said forms to anarrangement for utilizing said wound coils in their respectiveconfigurations, comprising:

a. a main body portion;

b. an alignment element fastened to said main body and adapted to engagea mating structure on said forms and on said utilization arrangement foraligning said tool therewith;

c. a plurality of sets of pins fastened to said main body, each of saidsets of pins comprising at least two pins which are correspondingly andsymmetrically positioned relative to said alignment element forsupporting one of said wound coils; and

(1. means movably fastened to said main body for holding said woundcoils supportably on said sets of pins.

4. The tool of claim 3 wherein said plurality of sets of pins comprisesone more than said plurality of coils for supporting each of said woundcoils with two pins on the inside of each of said wound coils and withtwo pins on the outside of each of said wound coils.

5. A tool for transferring N coils, where N is any integer, wound andpositioned on respective forms of respective configurations, from saidforms to an arrangement for utilizing said wound coils in theirrespective configurations, comprising:

a. a main body;

b. an alignment structure fastened to said main body and adapted toengage a mating structure on at least one of said forms and on saidutilization arrangement for aligning said tool therewith;

c. N plus one sets of pins fastened to said main body, each of said setsof pins comprising a pair of pins which are correspondingly andsymmetrically positioned relative to said alignment structure forsupporting said wound coils with a set of pins on the inside of each ofsaid wound coils and with a set of pins on the outside of each of saidwound coils; and

d. means movably fastened to said main body for holding a wound coilsupportably on a respective set of pins, said movable means havingspaced projections thereon for holding each of said coils along itslength.

3,686,735 ll a l 6. A tool for transferring a plurality of coils, each8. A tool for transferring sets of coils wound on a being separatelywound and positioned on a form, from machine, where each of said setscomprises at least one said form to an arrangement for utilizing saidwound coil, from said machine to a utilization device, said tool coilsin a predetermined configuration while maintaincomprising: ing aconnection between said wound coils, comprising: a. a body portion;

a. a main body portion; b. a plurality of elongated spacer pins mountedon b. a plurality of alignment elements fastened to said said body portiSaid Spacer P being arranged main body in a symmetrical arra em t within a generally circular configuration and extending respect to said mainbody, each of said alignment in the Same direction from Said y Portionelements being adapted to engage a mating struc- Stamiauy 6361103161;and on id f d on id ili i arrangec. aplurality of elongated alignmentpins mounted on ment for aligning said tool therewith; and

. a plurality of sets of pins fastened to said main body, each of saidsets of pins comprising at least said body portion, said alignment pinsbeing symmetrically arranged with respect to selected groups of saidspacer pins and extending from said two pins Whigh are correspondinglyand Symmetrh 15 body portion in the same direction as and substancallypositioned relative to a respective one of said tlauy Parallel to SaidSpacer P alignment elements for supporting one of said tool of Claim andfurther comprising P wound i1 ing device movably 'mounted on said bodyportion for 7 The tool f claim 6 and f th comprising apush ejectingcoils mounted on said spacer pins from said ing device mounted on saidmain body for simultanetoolously engaging the coils mounted on saidpins.

1. A tool for transferring a plurality of coils, individually wound andpositioned on a form from said form to an arrangement for utilizing saidwound coils in theiR respective configurations, comprising: a. a mainbody portion; b. a plurality of sets of pins fastened to said main body,each of said sets of pins comprising at least two pins which arecorrespondingly and symmetrically positioned relative to said main bodyfor supporting one of said wound coils; and c. means movably fastened tosaid main body for holding said wound coils supportably on said sets ofpins.
 2. A tool for transferring a plurality of coils, wound andpositioned on respective forms of respective configurations, from saidforms to an arrangement for utilizing said wound coils in theirrespective configurations, comprising: a. a main body portion; b. analignment element fastened to said main body and adapted to engage amating structure on said forms and on said utilization arrangement foraligning said tool therewith; and c. a plurality of sets of pinsfastened to said main body, each of said sets of pins comprising atleast two pins which are correspondingly and symmetrically positionedrelative to said alignment element for supporting one of said woundcoils.
 3. A tool for transferring a plurality of coils, wound andpositioned on respective forms of respective configurations, from saidforms to an arrangement for utilizing said wound coils in theirrespective configurations, comprising: a. a main body portion; b. analignment element fastened to said main body and adapted to engage amating structure on said forms and on said utilization arrangement foraligning said tool therewith; c. a plurality of sets of pins fastened tosaid main body, each of said sets of pins comprising at least two pinswhich are correspondingly and symmetrically positioned relative to saidalignment element for supporting one of said wound coils; and d. meansmovably fastened to said main body for holding said wound coilssupportably on said sets of pins.
 4. The tool of claim 3 wherein saidplurality of sets of pins comprises one more than said plurality ofcoils for supporting each of said wound coils with two pins on theinside of each of said wound coils and with two pins on the outside ofeach of said wound coils.
 5. A tool for transferring N coils, where N isany integer, wound and positioned on respective forms of respectiveconfigurations, from said forms to an arrangement for utilizing saidwound coils in their respective configurations, comprising: a. a mainbody; b. an alignment structure fastened to said main body and adaptedto engage a mating structure on at least one of said forms and on saidutilization arrangement for aligning said tool therewith; c. N plus onesets of pins fastened to said main body, each of said sets of pinscomprising a pair of pins which are correspondingly and symmetricallypositioned relative to said alignment structure for supporting saidwound coils with a set of pins on the inside of each of said wound coilsand with a set of pins on the outside of each of said wound coils; andd. means movably fastened to said main body for holding a wound coilsupportably on a respective set of pins, said movable means havingspaced projections thereon for holding each of said coils along itslength.
 6. A tool for transferring a plurality of coils, each beingseparately wound and positioned on a form, from said form to anarrangement for utilizing said wound coils in a predeterminedconfiguration while maintaining a connection between said wound coils,comprising: a. a main body portion; b. a plurality of alignment elementsfastened to said main body in a symmetrical arrangement with respect tosaid main body, each of said alignment elements being adapted to engagea mating structure on said form and on said utilization arrangement foraligning said tool therewith; and c. a plurality of sets of pinsfastened to said main body, each of said sets of pins comprising atleast two pins which are correspondingly and symmetrically positionedrelative to a reSpective one of said alignment elements for supportingone of said wound coils.
 7. The tool of claim 6, and further comprisinga pushing device mounted on said main body for simultaneously engagingthe coils mounted on said pins.
 8. A tool for transferring sets of coilswound on a machine, where each of said sets comprises at least one coil,from said machine to a utilization device, said tool comprising: a. abody portion; b. a plurality of elongated spacer pins mounted on saidbody portion, said spacer pins being arranged in a generally circularconfiguration and extending in the same direction from said body portionsubstantially parallel to each other; and c. a plurality of elongatedalignment pins mounted on said body portion, said alignment pins beingsymmetrically arranged with respect to selected groups of said spacerpins and extending from said body portion in the same direction as andsubstantially parallel to said spacer pins.
 9. The tool of claim 8, andfurther comprising a pushing device movably mounted on said body portionfor ejecting coils mounted on said spacer pins from said tool.